HOOKING UP ON THE INTERNET

The internet is rapidly becoming the preferred way to meet new people. With Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, chat rooms, web cams and a host of other options being added almost daily, it's easier than ever to cruise the web for a date or a quick hook-up.

Many of us are finding it much more preferable to simply flip on the computer and cruise the internet. It's a lot more appealing than trying to brave the crushing, constantly circling crowds in darkly lit bars that blast ear-numbing music so loud that just trying to talk to someone becomes a shouting match.

Obviously, this is a trend that is only going to grow. But don't get me wrong. There will always be a place in our community for bars, clubs and social gatherings. The energy and excitement of being in crowd of people who are all there for the same reasons you are can't be matched by the quiet and solitude of being alone. Face to face social interaction is as important as eating, breathing and sleeping. It's a very real way of recharging and balancing our psyches. Especially if you live alone.

But, if you are going to use the internet to cruise for dates or quickies - BE CAREFUL!

365gay.com reported last week that a 21 year old Army veteran was brutally and fatally stabbed in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania while on a second "date" with someone he met in an online chat room.

According to the report, Michael Goucher had been reported missing by his uncle. His car was found abandoned on a rural road in Price Township and his body was discovered in a nearby wooded area. He had been stabbed more than 20 times.

19 year old Shawn Freemore was found by police from evidence they had recovered from Goucher's car.

Freemore confessed to the murder and told police that he met Goucher in a chat room and the two men agreed to have sex. He said they had the liaison in Goucher’s car. Later, on a second date (again in Goucher's car) Freemore changed his mind at the last minute. Armed with a knife, he ordered Goucher out of the car and then stabbed him in the neck. Groucher fell to the ground and, as he tried to get up, Freemore stabbed him 19 more times in the stomach.

Police said that Freemore has a criminal record for burglary, shoplifting and drug paraphernalia possession.

Goucher was out to his family and his uncle, William Searfoss, who initially reported Goucher missing, told The Pocono Record, “If there’s a lesson to be taken from this tragedy, it’s to warn kids, especially the younger kids, about the danger of getting together with strangers they meet online."

I would strongly suggest that if you do decide to set up a date with someone you meet online, that you let someone else know what you're doing and who you're going to be with. That way, at least, if something does go wrong, not only will someone else know where you are and who you're with but you would also have a pretty strong deterrent to violence by telling your date, should he/she suddenly decide to turn on you, that other people know who you're with.

Taking a few self-defense classes wouldn't be a bad idea either.

Be careful out there...